He was very clear about his own goals, Duke. In order to achieve them, he could confront people head-on, make necessary compromises, and even ignore some discordant voices. At present, he did not have the ability or qualifications to fully control the crew.

Afterwards, Duke changed the shooting schedule, moving more scenes involving extras to the front. For a whole week after filming began, there were hardly any scenes shot with the main actors. After more than a week of friction and conflict, the crew finally began to run smoothly.

Chapter 10: Maniacs Who Worship Explosions

“Adjust camera four for an overhead shot!”

The set was busy but not chaotic. Duke held a megaphone, constantly giving orders. “Cruz, there’s a problem with your camera two’s aperture—readjust the white balance. Camera three, just keep your lens on the female lead!”

He tossed the megaphone to Sophia Coppola beside him, then walked into the constructed bus, nodded at a few actors who greeted him, and went straight to the driver’s seat.

“Uma, you had issues during the test shoot too.”

Sitting in the driver’s seat was a blonde woman at least five feet ten inches tall. Like most Hollywood actresses, she was extremely thin—perhaps “skin and bones” was a bit of an exaggeration, but she was almost at the limit of what her body could handle.

“You were too wild just now,” Duke reminded her. “Tone it down a bit. Also, don’t glare—this is a very bad habit. Your facial features are already sharp, and glaring makes you look too fierce!”

Turning around, Duke looked at Keanu Reeves. Maybe it was from hanging out with Johnny Depp and River Phoenix for years, or maybe he hadn’t fully shaken off his last role, but he still carried a bit too much of that roguish, carefree vibe.

“Keanu, put away all your cynicism! I’m not asking much from you—tighten your face and give me your most serious expression!”

“I got it.”

Keanu Reeves waved his hand dismissively, not really taking Duke seriously.

After glancing at him again, Duke turned and walked into the back of the bus. Since joining the crew, Keanu Reeves had always been like this. Maybe he should be grateful that at least the guy wasn’t showing up to set high after doing drugs.

“And you guys!”

In the bus sat Asian, Russian, African, Latin, and, including Naomi Watts, white actors. Duke swept his gaze over each of them. “You’re not just props. Every one of your expressions will affect the leads. Don’t let me see you looking blank again! Otherwise, I’ll replace you!”

After getting off the temporary bus, Duke returned to his position, coordinated the departments, and after calling for a clear set, filming resumed.

For this kind of film, the demands on the actors weren’t particularly high, and Duke didn’t need difficult long takes. After more than ten days of working together, the crew’s efficiency had improved somewhat. Although he still had to adjust camera positions and redo sets for many scenes to make up for mistakes caused by inexperience, overall, things were going much more smoothly than in the first week.

All that careful research in his previous life was paying off a bit.

Especially since, in Duke’s plan, the final theatrical cut would be between ninety and one hundred minutes, so he wouldn’t shoot any unnecessary shots that would waste film and money.

Even though he had no say in financial matters, the film’s production budget was only $15 million, so Duke had to be very careful with expenses during filming.

However, when it was time to spend money, Duke would never hold back—like with the upcoming explosion scenes.

After the morning shoot, Duke didn’t even eat lunch. He took the cinematography, special effects, and other teams, each in separate cars, and left Universal Studios, heading to a small town on the eastern edge of Los Angeles. A few days earlier, the crew had found a detached house there that was about to be demolished and was perfect for filming.

They grabbed burgers and Cokes on the way as a makeshift lunch. For a busy crew, this was pretty much the norm.

“Not to your taste?”

Sitting in the back of a pickup truck, Duke noticed that Sophia Coppola hadn’t touched her burger at all.

“This stuff is a woman’s worst enemy.” She didn’t even look at the delicious-smelling burger.

Hearing this, Duke remembered that Sophia had once been an actress herself. Even now, “skin and bones” was still an apt description.

Duke didn’t have much of an appetite either. He tossed his burger aside after eating a quarter of it, and he wouldn’t touch Coke or any other carbonated drinks. Taking advantage of the rare free time, he simply closed his eyes. The recent workload and mental stress had been too much, and he actually fell asleep in the car. By the time Sophia Coppola shook him awake, the car had already entered the small town.

“Thanks!”

Pulling off the blanket covering him, Duke said to the person next to him. Sophia shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

The crew’s convoy drove through the town to the far east side, turned onto a side road, drove for about five more minutes, and finally stopped in front of a white wooden house.